Fire and Brimstone, Part 2
by BeyondTheClouds777
Summary: ***SPOILERS FOR RTTE SEASON 4*** With the aftermath of the attack still hanging over the riders' heads, danger lurks around the corner once more, and if answers aren't found, it'll cost one of them their lives.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys!**

 **Sorry for making you all wait so long! :)**

 **So, I'm not really as enthusiastic as I'd usually be, 'cause I was up all night with a migraine rated 9/10 on the "Pain Scale," and since I didn't get any sleep, I still have the migraine right now, though it's only 7/10 this time.**

 **But that's why I'm not as enthusiastic. And I'm sure a lot of you guys are going to tell me to "Take it easy" and "Not post when I have a migraine" (and I don't mind it at all, really; actually, I've cried before when I realized just how much you guys cared about me), but I want to tell you guys that posting chapters/writing chapters is always my choice. Honestly, it's...it's like therapy. It's something that makes me happy. Reading all your reviews and hearing all your support makes me really, really happy.**

 **So...you don't have to worry about me. I know my boundaries pretty well, and I promise I won't post a chapter if my health is suffering for it. I really love you guys, and it makes me so, so abundantly happy to hear how much you guys like what I write.**

 **So...I dunno...enjoy the chapter? XD I don't know how often I'll upadte, but I'll do my best to make it snappy, 'kay? :) Thanks for all your support and your concern! I love you all so much! :)**

* * *

Stoick was having a bad day. Or, moreover, a very long, boring, _obnoxious_ day, filled with people's complaints and requests.

Un-Silent Sven - sometimes Stoick prayed to Thor that he would become Silent Sven again - was complaining all day that they didn't take good enough care of their sheeps. Another villager wanted their son to become one of the A-Team dragon riders (to which Stoick responded that he would have to take it up with Astrid beforehand). Someone else wanted extra rations of food for some reason - Stoick really didn't pay much attention.

It was at times like these he decided he needed a vacation, but of course, Chiefs couldn't take vacations.

He was on his way to the Great Hall that evening when Gobber approached him. "Aye, Stoick?" Gobber said. "There's something I need to-"

"What?" Stoick asked impatiently, whirling around to face the blacksmith. "What is it _now_ , Gobber? Do you have complaints for me, too?"

Gobber swallowed hard, and when Stoick finally finished talking, it gave the Chief a moment to actually look at his friend's face. Gobber was grim, but there was also sorrow in his eyes, and he was holding a scroll; a Terrible Terror sat on his shoulder.

Now, all anger completely forgotten, Stoick was asking a different question.

"What's wrong, Gobber?"

Gobber paused, thinking about what he was going to say. "It's Hiccup, Stoick," he said, handing over the Terror mail.

Stoick ripped it out of his hands so quickly it was unbelievable, and he pulled it open, reading it to himself. When he reached the end of the message, he looked back up at Gobber, eyes wide.

"Get Gothi," he ordered. "We leave for Dragon's Edge this instant."

…

Hiccup laid on blankets Astrid and Toothless had set up on the main floor of his house. Astrid had decided it would be easier than trying to move Hiccup upstairs to his bed, or his bed downstairs to Hiccup.

Astrid knelt beside him, biting her lip with worry. Toothless sat opposite of her, also by Hiccup's side, watching on anxiously. Hiccup was pale, and he was still unconscious, his breathing wheezy and labored. Astrid had wrapped his arm again with gauze, this time from his wrist to his shoulder, and was holding his hand.

Astrid didn't know what to do. She wondered, briefly, if this was what Hiccup was feeling when she was struck with the Scourge of Odin what felt so long ago. She had told Hiccup not to worry then, but now, seeing Hiccup in a similar state, she knew that he'd had every right to worry.

Just as she had every right to worry (and definitely _was_ worrying) now.

Hiccup suddenly grimaced, and then blinked his eyes open, staring up at Astrid and Toothless. They stared back at him, looking relieved.

"What…?" Hiccup murmured. "What happened?"

Toothless was on him in an instant, licking him and nuzzling him. Hiccup laughed, softly and hoarsely. "I'm okay, Toothless, I'm okay…" he said.

"Hey," Astrid said, squeezing his hand; he turned his head to look at her, his eyes glassy. "Are you okay?"

"I've...been better," Hiccup said tiredly, "but I think...I think I'm okay. What happened?"

Astrid bit her lip, and then decided she'd tell Hiccup later, when he was little more coherent - and when she could mentally prepare herself to explain the situation. "I'll tell you later, Hiccup," she said. "For now, just try to rest."

Hiccup nodded, and then returned to sleep - or maybe it was unconsciousness. Astrid didn't know.

Toothless nudged Hiccup's arm, and when he didn't respond, the dragon looked up at Astrid. He was obviously just as worried as she was. Astrid rested her hand on the dragon's head and smiled softly.

"Don't worry, Toothless, he'll be okay," she said.

Toothless didn't look completely convinced, and honestly, Astrid wasn't completely convinced, either, even though they were her own words. They were really just a hope. She _hoped_ Hiccup would be okay.

At that moment, she heard commotion outside. She leapt to her feet and drew her axe from her back, holding it in front of her. Toothless stood over Hiccup protectively, barring his teeth and letting out a low, threatening growl.

"If they're hunters," Astrid said to Toothless through gritted teeth, glaring at the closed hatch leading inside, "I'm gonna kill them."

Toothless growled back at her, and Astrid was positive the dragon was agreeing.

The hatch shook. Someone was trying to open it. Astrid tightened her grip around her axe and shifted her feet into a fighting stance. Toothless sucked in a deep breath, ready for a battle.

The hatch opened…

...And in ran Stoick and Gobber, panting heavily, followed by their dragons Grump and Skullcrusher. Astrid froze, eyes widened in shock; Toothless shut his mouth, gulping back his plasma blast.

"Stoick!" Astrid said, lowering her axe, overwhelmed with relief. "You got my Terror mail! Did you bring Gothi?"

Just then, the village elder hobbled through the doorway, wordlessly answering Astrid's initial question.

"Where's Hiccup?" Stoick demanded, and Astrid and Toothless looked at each other, and then, in unison, stepped back to reveal Hiccup lying behind them.

Stoick's eyes filled with worry, and he moved over quickly, kneeling by his son's side. "Hiccup…" he whispered.

Gobber hobbled over as quickly as his one leg and prosthetic could carry him, and he gasped at the sight of his former apprentice looking so horrible. "Poor lad…" Gobber said quietly.

"What happened, Astrid?" Stoick questioned, the majority of his fear hidden behind his demand.

"We were attacked by Ryker a while ago," said Astrid slowly, "and one of his arrows grazed Hiccup…"

Gothi moved forward then, pulling herself along with her staff. She gave Stoick a push, and Stoick rose to his feet again reluctantly, letting the healer examine his son. Gothi settled her staff on the ground and began checking Hiccup over, from feeling his head to inspecting his bandages.

"Ryker did this?" Stoick asked Astrid.

Astrid nodded. Stoick looked at Hiccup, and then, his eyes filled with the fury of a thousand men.

"I'm going to kill him," said Stoick, already making for the door.

Gobber stopped him. "Hold it, Stoick," the blacksmith said. "There will be time for revenge later. Right now, we need to think about Hiccup."

Stoick looked ready to argue, but when he glanced back to his son, feverish and injured and bedridden, he didn't. In the choice between going after Ryker and staying with his only son, the choice was obvious.

There would be time for revenge in the future.

"Where was he grazed?" Stoick inquired, moving back towards Astrid.

"His arm," said Astrid. "But it's...it's bad."

"You said it was just a graze, lass," said Gobber.

"I _know_ ," said Astrid, "it _was_ just a graze, but…"

Gothi carefully lifted Hiccup's arm and unwound the bandages. Stoick and Gobber gasped, eyes widening, and Astrid looked away. Toothless reeled backwards in disgust.

All along Hiccup's arm were black, long tendrils that looked almost like bolts of lightning, starting from the graze of the arrow and trailing all the way down to his wrist. Some of them moved upwards, closer to his shoulder.

Out of everyone present, the village healer was the only person who didn't display her shock. She kept on with her examination, silent and even more grave than before.

"...So, Gothi?" Astrid asked anxiously. "How is he?"

Gothi stood, grabbing her staff on the way up. She reached into her pouch and cast some sand on the wooden floor, then began writing her message. Gobber leaned over the runes.

"Poison," said Gobber.

"Poison!?" Stoick said, and his fury returned. He drew his axe and held it tightly, his eyes narrowed into a threatening, menacing glare that probably would have made even a Screaming Death back down. "Ryker poisoned my son!?"

"Is there a cure, Gothi?" Astrid asked. She had figured it was poison from the very beginning, but was hoping she'd been wrong (which she hadn't been, according to Gothi). "There has to be a cure."

Gothi scribbled in the dirt some more, and Gobber read over the runes, being more careful than ever as to not make a mistake in the translation.

"She says there _is_ a cure," Gobber answered, "but it's not an easy one to come by. It's made with a combination of herbs from Healer's island, which are easy enough to obtain, but the hard part is finding saturated Erro root and the scale of the elusive and dangerous Shatterglass dragon."

"Shatterglass dragon?" said Astrid, watching Hiccup with utmost worry. "I've never heard of it, _anywhere_."

"I have," said Stoick. "It was thought to have gone extinct until Bork saw one a few hundred years ago. The last recorded sight of them was at an island so far off, it was said that one would have to fall off the edge of the world before reaching it."

"And Erro root," said Gobber, "only grows in one place." He watched Astrid, and then double-checked Gothi's notes. "Do you want to guess what that place is, Astrid?"

Astrid blanched. She didn't know for certain, but she could guess, and if her guess was correct…

"It's the dragon hunter base, isn't it?" she said.

Gobber nodded gravely. "Aye, it's the dragon hunter's home base."

"Well, we have to go!" Astrid said loudly (and maybe a bit frantically, too), making everyone (including the dragons) jump. "We have to find the cure!"

"She's right," said Stoick. "This is something we have to do."

"You'd need a lot of vikings to search for the Shatterglass," said Gobber, " _and_ vikings to go to Healer's Island, _and_ an entire _fleet_ of 'em if you plan on getting in and out of the dragon hunter's base alive."

"I sent Snotlout to Healer's Island this morning for some yarrow and peppermint," said Astrid, and she raced across the room to grab charcoal and a notebook. "Give me the list of herbs and I'll send it to Snotlout before he leaves."

"Where're the rest of the riders?" Stoick asked. "It's going to take more than _Snotlout_ to pull this off."

"Fishlegs and the twins are with the Defenders of the Wing returning the baby Eruptodon," said Astrid, tearing paper from the notebook and setting it on the table. The more she worked, the less she had to think about Hiccup, sick and in pain. "I'll ask them to see if Mala knows anything about the Shatterglass. I'm sure they'll know _something_."

"And what of the dragon hunters?" Gobber asked.

"We'll regroup and head there after everything else is done," said Astrid, writing down her Terror mails frantically. "We can even bring some of the Berkian armada if we have to."

"Agreed," said Stoick, nodding firmly. "We'll do this by any means necessary."

"How long do we have, Gobber?" Astrid questioned, jogging back over to the blacksmith's side.

Gobber looked towards Gothi, who scribbled down more in the dirt. Gobber read it over, and then looked back at Astrid, more worried than before.

"What?" said Astrid, her panic intensifying. "What is it, Gobber? How long?"

Gobber sighed heavily. This was definitely news he didn't want to break.

"Three days," said Gobber heavily. "We have three days to get the cure, or else..." His voice trailed off.

Astri didn't want to hear the rest of it, but she had to. She had a really, really bad feeling about this. "Or else what?"

"...Or else," said Gobber lowly, "Hiccup dies."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Sorry for making you wait; I've kind of been dead inside for the past couple days so I've kinda been really really out of it. Plus my migraines don't help but HEY I can still write (sometimes, sort of) which is good.**

 **Oh, btw, please blame all my errors on my migraines. I'm sure you'll find a couple in this chapter. :/**

 **And, well, because of my migraines, I'm...um...*cough cough* gonna have to give you guys a rain check on the shout-outs. I know, I hate missing them, but I think if I tried to do them all now (there are a lot of you guys wow) I'd end up screwing up the words and making it all sound...blegh, if you know what I mean.**

 **BUT I'll do shout-outs next chapter when I'm feeling a bit more like myself, 'kay? :)**

 **Oh, but I am going to answer a couple of questions you guys were asking regarding my migraines (and if you aren't interested you can just skip on through to the chapter; it doesn't make a difference to me):**

 **So, um, my migraines aren't really the "steriotypical" migraine. I get nauseous, but I've never puked or anything, and I don't see double or blurry vision or anything like that. I've gotten dizzy spells, but nothing too bad. I fainted in the shower once, but that was kinda a combination of things (I also had a ' fever that wasn't migraine related so yeah that was probably not my best idea). I've seen at least a dozen doctors and have had blood work, eye tests, vision tests, and an MRI and there's nothing physically wrong with me, like a blood clot or anything. Migraines also run in my family so the doctors think it's genetic.**

 **Sorry that was a lot of information that you guys probably didn't need to hear but a couple of you guys were asking so there's your answers. :)**

 **Anyways, thank you for all your reviews/support! I'll see you guys next chapter (with the shout-outs, too! :D). Sayonara! :D**

* * *

"We thank you and your dragon riders very much for your assistance in protecting the Eruptodon, Fishlegs Ingerman," said Mala gratefully. "My people and I are forever in your debts."

"No, it was our pleasure!" said Fishlegs, handing the Eruptodon over to Throck, who then proceeded to return the newly hatched dragon to its mother. "We're always willing to help a friend - or dragon - in need!"

"And besides," said Tuffnut, dismounting Barf and Belch with Ruffnut, "we just _had_ to protect Tuffnut Thorston Junior! He is my heir to the throne!"

Mala blinked. "...Fascinating," said Mala. She was slowly growing accustomed to the antics of Ruffnut and Tuffnut and learned that it was best to either a) go along with whatever crazy thing they proposed or b) ignore them entirely.

Fishlegs and the twins had arrived without incident to the home of the Defenders of the Wing, stopping only once or twice to feed the baby Eruptodon. It was daytime now, the sun shining beautifully overhead.

"So," Mala began, folding her hands, "I assume this means you were able to stop Viggo's ultimate weapon."

"Yes," said Fishlegs, nodding, "we did. The Shellshocker is no more."

"Oooh, fire," said Tuffnut, approaching a nearby torch slowly, as though it would run away if he made any sudden movements. "What happens if I tou-"

"Do _not_ touch that!" Fishlegs snapped, and Tuffnut sprang away, grinning innocently - or, _trying_ to grin innocently, anyway.

"That _is_ a relief," said Mala. "Now our people are free to live in peace and finish rebuilding what the dragon hunters destroyed."

The people of the Defenders of the Wing were still making repairs all over the island from the Shellshocker's attack on their home. The damages were hefty, but there were no casualties.

"And what of Viggo?" Mala inquired, and she spat out Viggo's name with menace. "Where is he now?"

Fishlegs paused at that. "Well...actually…"

"OUCH! OUCH OUCH OUCH!" Tuffnut's shout grasped both Fishlegs' and Mala's attention, and they turned to watch as he jumped away from the torch yet again, this time with his burnt fingers in his mouth. "DO NOT TOUCH IT!" he shouted around his fingers. "DO NOT TOUCH IT!"

"That's what I just _told_ you!" said Fishlegs helplessly. "Seriously, you guys!"

Ruffnut and Tuffnut ran off to do only Thor knew what else, and Fishlegs sighed, turning his attention back to Mala.

"Viggo," Mala reminded him.

"Oh, right," said Fishlegs with a nod. "Viggo's...dead."

Mala's eyes went wide in surprise - and maybe a little bit of disbelief. "Dead?" she questioned. "How? What happened?"

"He fell in the mouth of the volcano on the Edge during his attack," said Fishlegs. "The ground caved in beneath him."

"Is there any possibility he's still alive?" Mala asked. "Any possibility whatsoever?"

Fishlegs shook his head. "Definitely not," he said. "No one could have survived falling straight into lava like that."

Mala looked down briefly, and then, she looked back up at Fishlegs. He couldn't read the look on her face. "It would have had to end like that eventually," she said, folding her hands behind her back. "Viggo and his dragon hunters killed so many innocent people and dragons alike, and the bloodshed would have only gone on should he have continued."

Fishlegs nodded. She was right. The outcome was inevitable.

"Where are the rest of the dragon riders?" Mala asked after a moment of uncomfortable silence.

Fishlegs was happy to get off the subject of Viggo. "Oh, they stayed behind to look after the Edge in case Ryker and the dragon hunters doubled back," he replied.

"So the dragon hunters are still out there, then," said Mala. It wasn't a question. By the tone of her voice, she already knew the answer.

"Yeah, they are," said Fishlegs, "but without Viggo, they're attacks are crippled. Hiccup's managed to outsmart Ryker before. Don't worry, Mala. We aren't going to let anything happen to you, your people, or your protector."

Mala nodded. "Thank you, Fishlegs Ingerman," she said. "And the Defenders of the Wing are always glad to assist our allies as well. Should you need any help whatsoever, let us know right away and we will do what we can."

"Thank you, Mala," said Fishlegs with a smile.

Suddenly, a Terrible Terror dropped from the air and alighted on Fishlegs' shoulder with a happy chirp. "Oh," said Fishlegs, "looks like airmail." He carefully took the scroll from the dragon's leg, thanked the small creature, and unrolled the note. Mala watched him.

"Ooh, airmail?" said Tuffnut, appearing out of nowhere with Ruffnut, and they both looked over Fishlegs' shoulder. "What's it say?" Tuffnut asked. "What's it say, huh? What's it say?"

Fishlegs continued reading, ignoring the twins entirely. The further on he read, though, the more worry was displayed on his face, until finally, that worry turned into shock and panic.

"Oh, Thor!" he gasped.

"What is it?" Mala inquired quickly, moving towards him. "What's wrong?"

"It's Hiccup," said Fishlegs, handing the note over to let Mala read it herself. Mala looked it over, and when she finished reading, she, too, seemed shocked, though she kept her composure.

"Do you know anything about the Shatterglass dragon?" Fishlegs asked anxiously.

Mala paused, and then raised her head. "Come with me," she said, already turning and heading in the opposite direction. "I'll show you to our records. We haven't time to waste, come on!"

Fishlegs hurried on after her, pursued by Ruffnut and Tuffnut, the latter of which had stolen the torch from before and now carried it with him.

…

"Down here," said Mala, leading Fishlegs, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut down a long, winding staircase, the stone walls lined with torches. The air was dank, and if it hadn't been for the torches basking the space with orange light, the stairwell would have been pitch-black.

"Whoa, pretty secretive, huh?" said Tuffnut, reaching out and running his hand along the wall as they continued following Mala at a brisk pace. His other hand held the torch from earlier.

"Of course," said Mala, looking over her shoulder briefly at Tuffnut. "We protected all our information down here, in these chambers, should our people be overtaken by dragon hunters. In the wrong hands, this information could lead thousands of innocents to their deaths."

"Are you sure you have information on the Shatterglass dragon?" Fishlegs asked, twiddling his fingers. "Oh, poor Hiccup...I hope he's okay…"

"The ancient people of our society were very informative," said Mala. "If there's any information on this Shatterglass whatsoever, there's bound to be some here."

"I hope so," said Fishlegs.

"So, what _is_ the Shatterglass?" said Ruffnut.

"I _could_ be wrong," said Tuffnut, raising a finger smartly, "but I think it's a dragon."

Ruffnut clobbered him in the face. "I know it's a _dragon,_ muttonhead," she snapped, "but what I mean is, what kind of dragon?"

"Honestly, I haven't the slightest idea," said Mala. "Personally, I've never heard of the dragon, but as I said, if there's any information on it, there will be some in these chambers."

They continued down the staircase for a little while longer until finally they reached the end. Double metal doors stood before them now, bound by chains and locks. They were made from solid steel, and nothing more. No designs, no carvings, no sigh, no nothing; just solid, impenetrable metal.

Mala pulled a key from her belt and began undoing each of the locks in turn. Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut waited in the background, watching silently.

Finally, the last of the locks were undone, and the chains fell to the floor. Mala pushed hard on the doors, and with a _creak_ and the grinding of metal against stone, they were slowly swung open.

"Tuffnut Thorston, your torch," said Mala, extending her hand, and Tuffnut handed it over without a second thought (he probably feared refusing Mala). Mala stepped through the doors, and the twins and Fishlegs followed her.

The room was _big_. Maybe even bigger than the Great Hall back on Berk. The only light was that of the torch; the room was dark otherwise. Bookshelves stood from the stone floor straight to the roof, all the way around the walls. Even more books and loose papers were stacked on a desk, along with a compass, some charcoal, and miscellaneous maps.

"All the information we ever gained is right before you," said Mala. "I have to ask, for the safety of our people and the dragons alike, that anything you find must remain in here under lock and key."

Tuffnut's hand snapped up in salute, as did Ruffnut's. "Roger that!" said Ruffnut, grinning. "Make sure you remember that, Tuffnut. No stealing."

"No stealing, got it," said Tuffnut.

"Aside from that," said Mala, "look all you wish. Put all the information you find regarding the Shatterglass on the desk. We'll look over it once we've finished."

Mala took an unlit torch from the wall and lit it with her own; she gave this to Fishlegs, and then gave Ruffnut and Tuffnut each their own (with a warning not to touch it this time). They dispersed then, each in a different direction, to search for any helpful information.

"Ooh, this looks interesting," said Tuffnut, holding up a book and turning it, reading it side-ways. "Hmmm...Monstrous Nightmare handling techniques...pressure points…you know what, I should totally memorize this and get back at Snotlout one of these days."

Ruffnut snickered. "Yeah," she agreed, "he definitely deserves it."

"This isn't a _joke_ , guys!" Fishlegs snapped furiously. "Hiccup's _life_ depends on finding information on the Shatterglass dragon's location!"

Tuffnut and Ruffnut exchanged glances, and then nodded to each other, suddenly very serious. "Okay, Tuffnut," said Ruffnut, "the key word is Shatterglass."

"Shatterglass," repeated Tuffnut seriously, and he and his sister split up to search the bookshelves.

They searched for hours, and yet overturned no helpful information whatsoever. Honestly, there was little information regarding the Shatterglass _at all_. The only thing they discovered so far was that they hadn't been seen in hundreds of years.

"Hey, Tuff, over here!" said Ruffnut, beckoning her brother over. "There's a book up there I can't reach!"

"You got it, sis!" said Tuffnut with a grin, and he jumped onto Ruffnut's shoulders, reached, and snatched the book from the top of the shelf. "Yeah! Got it!" he cheered, leaping back off his sister and onto solid ground.

He looked at the book's cover with the light of the torch, Ruffnut staring over his shoulder, and then sighed heavily. "Well, this one's useless," he said. "It says it's about something called Slagratters, or something."

"Slagratters?" Fishlegs repeated, and then, he charged over with Mala hot on his heels. "Let me see that!" Fishlegs snatched the book away from Tuffnut, and then looked at the cover himself.

"Tuffnut, it's upside down! You're reading it wrong!" Fishlegs said, turning the book the right way, and his face lit up. "It says Shatterglass! This book is about the Shatterglass!"

"Wait, you mean…" Tuffnut paused, scratching his chin. "You mean we actually…" He looked at Ruffnut, seemingly horrified.

"We actually...did something _right?"_ said Ruffnut. "Whoa…"

"SCORE!" said Tuffnut, pumping his fists into the air and bashing his head against Ruffnut's right afterwards. "Ha! See!? We can do stuff when we put our minds to it!"

"And our bodies," said Ruffnut. "Don't forget our bodies."

"Right, when we put our minds and our bodies into it," said Tuffnut, grinning. "We are _geniuses_. Take _that_ , Snotlout!"

"This is incredible!" said Fishlegs, flipping through the pages, looking more and more enthusiastic by the second. "I think this book can lead us to the Shatterglass!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello frans I am here.**

 **SO I'm so sorry for taking so long with this chapter! I got sick again for a couple days (I'm still sick now actually but I'm getting over it) and it really stinks when you have sickness-headaches AND migraines, so...that's no fun. But anyways, I'm actually feeling pretty good today, so I figured I'd finish up the chapter and post it for you awesome people.**

 **So, I took up an editing job a while back (I'm on the project with three other people) so if my updates still come slower than usual, then that's why. That, or I just have migraines...**

 **Anyways, as promised, here are the shout-outs! :)**

 **BurnetteTexan: Thank you very much! :)**

 **kaykay8776: Wow, thanks for the compliment! I seriously appreciate it! :) As for the idea, it sounds fantastic! However, I don't think I can take up any new projects at the moment due to...well, life. But I'll keep it in mind in case I have time to do it in the future, alright? :) Thank you very much for your review! :)**

 **SnivyDragon: Haha, yeeeep! I love the twins so much! And thanks! It took me a lot of different names before I finally decided on Shatterglass. It's kinda funny how much time and effort I put into my fanfictions, honestly. XD Yeah, migrianes stink. I wouldn't wish them on anybody, that's for sure. Thank you very much for your concern, and for your review! :)**

 **Guest (#1): Gotta love the twins. XD And thank you very much! :)**

 **MartialArtistwithaPen: Thank you very much! I appreciate the prayers. :) Oh my gosh, if the twins could suddenly become "invincible" like Alphonse...oh my gosh. R.I.P. the rest of the dragon riders (and the world actually). XD Thanks for the review! :)**

 **Guest (#2): Thanks! I like doing stuff that makes sense. :)**

 **Aeon The Dimensional Girl: GO GANG! :) And thank you very much! :)**

 **phieillydinyia: Yep. Gotta love 'em. :)**

 **Goldeneyeddragon101: Yay cure! And you're totally right; Hiccup is definitely a danger magnet. XD I'm glad you didn't find any errors! I know it's just fanfiction and all and it doesn't really have to be "perfect", but I've always been a perfectionist, so, yeah. XD Thanks for the review! :)**

 **The Dreaming Dragon: Haha thanks! :D**

 **FanWriter02: Hahahaha thanks so much! :)**

 **Zoha Ven: Thank you very much! I really appreciate the prayers. I think they're genetic (because my dad had them when he was around my age), and he said they lessened consciderably as he got older (he only gets a migraine once or twice a year now). So who knows? :) And yeah, I have heard that a lot, but I don't mind hearing it again! :) I'm definitely the kind of person who would overdo it without even realizing it. :) Thanks for the review, and for your patience, too! I appreciate all of it! :D**

 **Margaret Helstone: That makes me happy! I strive to only write stuff that would actually happen in the show, so I'm really glad I'm doing good so far! :) Mala is such an interesting character, so I had to include her. And the twins...everyone loves the twins. And Hiccstrid. :) Thanks for the review! :)**

 **SailorMew4: Ruffnut and Tuffnut are amazing. :) And thanks! :)**

 **thepurplewriter333: Haha, thanks! Yeah, poor Hiccup. He certainly gets a hard time from me, doesn't he? XD Thanks for the review!**

 **endoplasmic: Thanks! I've been doing a little bit better lately, so thank you! :) I'm not gonna give away any spoilers, but I will say to get ready for a lot of Astrid, 'cause her time to shine's coming up soon! :D Thanks for the review! :)**

 **katurdi: You're welcome! :D And thanks for your concern! I think I'm doing a little better now. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **PKWolf014: Thanks! I'm glad you liked the chapter! :) Aww, thanks! *accepts hugs and cookies* I love cookies! :D Hahaha! Your concern touches me, really, it does. Thank you very, very much! :) I hope you continue to enjoy the story! :)**

 **OKAY, I think that's everyone, but let me know if I missed anyone, okay? I'd feel really, really bad if I missed one of you guys and didn't realize it. :'( Anyways, I love you guys to pieces and I hope you all enjoy the chapter! :D**

* * *

"OW! OW! OW! OW! OW!"

Snotlout tripped and tumbled out of a bush, a Terrible Terror clinging to his arm, sinking its teeth into Snotlout's flesh. "STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT!" Snotlout shouted furiously, shaking his arm. "Get it off get it off get it off getitoffgetitoffgetitoff-!"

Hookfang watched him all the while, chortling in laughter. Snotlout finally - _finally_ \- managed to fling the Terrible Terror off his arm, already having grabbed the airmail the dragon was carrying.

"Every. Single. _Time!"_ Snotlout shouted, stomping his foot. "Why!? Do all dragons hate me, or something!?"

Hookfang snorted.

"Oh, shut up, stupid dragon!" Snotlout snapped. Hookfang, in response, blew Snotlout's helmet off his head. Snotlout picked his helmet back up and unrolled the scroll, reading it over.

"More instructions from Astrid," he told Hookfang. "Hiccup's been poisoned by Ryker...gah!" He threw the note down and stomped on it. "Stupid Ryker! Stupid _Viggo!"_ He kicked the sand, lost his balance, and fell over. "I'm gonna _kill_ them for hurting Hiccup!" Snotlout said furiously, getting up and brushing himself off. He picked the scroll up again, looking it over once more.

"Instructions for an antidote," said Snotlout. "Let's see...more herbs?" He put his hands on his hips proudly. "Snotlout's on the job!" he said, moving one hand and jabbing his thumb at his chest. "If it's herbs you want, it's herbs you'll get! C'mon, Hookfang!" He turned, leaped onto the Monstrous Nightmare, and then pointed his finger further into Healer's Island. "We've got a friend to save!"

Hookfang snorted in agreement and took off. For once, he didn't light himself on fire.

…

By late afternoon, Hiccup wasn't showing any signs of improvement, which made perfect sense - without the cure, the poison would only continue to destroy him from the inside out. Astrid and Toothless sat unmoving by his side, though this time Astrid was using a wet rag to try and bring down Hiccup's otherwise unremitting fever. The black tendrils on his arm had spread up his shoulder until they disappeared beneath his shirt, and the back of his hand was likewise covered.

"How's he looking, Astrid?" Stoick asked, moving to kneel beside the shieldmaiden.

Astrid shook her head. "No different," she said. "If anything...he's worse."

Before, Hiccup had been blissfully unconscious, but now he looked like he was in pain, restlessly wincing and grimacing, his teeth clenched and eyes screwed shut tightly.

"I'm leaving for Berk soon," Stoick told Astrid. "It's the last thing I want to do with Hiccup in this state, but the sooner we can get the armada to the dragon hunter base, the sooner we can find the Erro root and make the antidote."

Astrid nodded. She knew Stoick was torn about his decision to leave, but the Chief had a point that no one could argue with. Gothi and Gobber worked in the background, grinding herbs that would hopefully bring down Hiccup's fever before it rose to a dangerous level.

Just then, a Terrible Terror flew through the open window, landing on Astrid's forearm as she reached out to re-wet the rag on Hiccup's head. Astrid retracted her arm, eyes moving towards the dragon's leg.

"Airmail," she said, and she took the scroll. The Terrible Terror flew off, alighting curiously on Toothless' head. The Night Fury ignored the smaller dragon, completely focused on the condition of his rider.

Astrid opened the scroll and read it to herself. "It's from Snotlout," said Astrid to Stoick. "He says he got our message and is getting the herbs for the antidote right now. He should be back here with them by nightfall."

Stoick nodded firmly. "So all that's left is to hear from Fishlegs and the twins," said Stoick, "and see how their search for the Shatterglass is going."

As if on cue, a second Terrible Terror soared through the window, carrying yet another message through airmail. Astrid took the scroll, unrolled it, and read it.

"From Fishlegs," said Astrid. "He says they found information on the Shatterglass and are trying to pinpoint its location now. They're going to meet up with us at the dragon hunter base for the attack."

Stoick nodded once again, and then shifted his gaze to Hiccup; Astrid did the same. All color was drained from the trainer's face, and Toothless stood vigil over him, almost like he was daring anyone to try and come close. Gothi was standing by her patient once again, and Gobber stood behind her, waiting in case he was needed.

"I should get going soon, too," said Astrid, quietly and regretfully. "I want to scout the hunter's base before we attack and see their defenses. I should be back before Snotlout gets here."

"Alright," said Stoick. "I'll stay here until you return, and then I'll round up the armada."

Astrid nodded. "Come on, Stormfly," she said, motioning to the Nadder sleeping in the corner, and Stormfly hopped to her feet and hurried out the door, Astrid hot on her tail. Astrid leapt onto her dragon's back, and the Deadly Nadder took to the sky.

…

Heather stood, reading over the scroll sent to her via Terror Mail in horror. She'd been on Berserker Island overlooking over repairs to the villagers' huts when the Terrible Terror had arrived with its dreadful message.

"Hey, sis, everything's almost back to - Heather?" Dagur approached her, stopping when he saw the look on her face. "What is it?"

"It's Hiccup," said Heather quietly. "Astrid says...she says he's been poisoned."

Dagur's eyes widened. "POISONED!?" he shrieked; the Terrible Terror on Heather's shoulder flew off in shock, joined by a couple other Terrors residing in trees nearby. "Who would _dare_ lay a finger on my brother!?"

"It happened during the raid," said Heather. "While the volcano was erupting. Ryker-"

"IT WAS _RYKER!"_ said Dagur, balling his fists. "I _know_ I'm trying to get over my anger issues, but if I see Ryker ever again, I'm gonna-"

"Astrid says that Gothi wants herbs from Berserker Island," Heather interrupted, cutting down to the chase. "They only grow here, and they are extremely helpful in preventing infections and bringing down fevers."

"Oh, we can do that!" said Dagur, nodding. "I'll just grab some and take them over to the Edge! No biggie!"

Heather frowned worriedly, for more reasons than one. "Maybe I should go instead," she offered.

"No, Heather," said Dagur, "you should stay here, and take care of our people. Let me look after our brother."

Heather opened her mouth to object, and then stopped when she thought better of it. Dagur had a point. Out of the two of them, Heather was better at guiding the Berserker people and helping reconstruct wrecked buildings. Normally, she'd worry that Dagur would do nothing but dilly-daddle on the way to the Edge, but now that Hiccup's life was at stake, surely he wouldn't.

"Alright," Heather agreed reluctantly, grasping onto Dagur's forearm. "Get those herbs to Gothi, Dagur."

"Will do," Dagur agreed firmly with a nod, and he turned and raced off without a moment's hesitation.

Heather swallowed hard. "Please be okay, Hiccup…"

…

Astrid soared over on Stormfly, circling the dragon hunter base high enough to remain out of sight, but low enough to check the outskirts of the island. Stormfly chirped at her suddenly, and Astrid smiled weakly, scratching the dragon's head.

"I'm okay, girl," she said, unsure of whether or not she was lying, "just...just worried about Hiccup."

Stormfly squawked.

"I know," said Astrid. "He'll be okay. He has to be. He just...he...he _has_ to be."

He _had_ to be okay. It didn't matter how or by what means; in the end, Hiccup _would_ be okay. Astrid was too stubborn (and scared) to ever think otherwise. They'd get the ingredients and put together the cure, and Hiccup would be fine.

They'd finally got their relationship figured out. They'd finally become a "couple." Astrid wasn't going to say goodbye to all of that, not now and not ever, and _especially_ not because some stupid, dirty, no good, rotten, good-for-nothing son of a half-troll rat-eating mud bucket dragon hunter named _Ryker_ decided to _poison_ Hiccup.

Oh, Astrid was going to _murder_ Ryker if she ever got her hands on him…

"Come on, Stormfly," Astrid said through clenched teeth, glaring at the dragon hunter base below. "Let's go."

Stormfly looked confused and concerned by the sudden change in her rider's voice, but the dragon didn't object. She shot downwards, closer towards the base, until they were practically right over it.

Astrid looked around for a moment or two. "I don't see any battleships or weapons," she said, thinking. "Maybe they don't expect us to fight back…?"

As she looked and continued looking, she suddenly noticed something she hadn't before. A figure, just barely in her line of sight, was waving at her. Astrid frowned, and then moved closer on Stormfly.

The figure was Ryker.

Just _seeing_ him again was enough to redouble Astrid's fury, and she grit her teeth, all her anger coming back at her in an instant. But she didn't attack; not now, not yet. Ryker wasn't nearly as smart as Viggo, but he wasn't stupid, either. This might be a trap. If Astrid attacked now, she might not live to regret it.

Stormfly touched down, just in front of Ryker, and Astrid dismounted, drawing her axe and holding it out threateningly. Ryker put up his hands, showing open palms. He was unarmed.

"I should kill you now," Astrid snarled.

"Oho, I wouldn't do that if I were you," said Ryker. "May not look like it at the moment, but you're actually surrounded by the best archers in the dragon hunter army. One more against me and it's over."

Astrid took a step back; Stormfly raised her tail, ready to attack if need be.

"I'm willing to make a trade," said Ryker. "You and your dragon riders have something that I want, and as far as I know, we dragon hunters have something that you dragon riders want. Desperately."

Astrid's eyes widened. _Erro root._ The keywords "Hiccup" and "poison" popped into her head again, and she had to hold back the urge to kill Ryker once again.

Ryker smirked. The change in Astrid's facial expressions told him all he needed to know. "So," said Ryker, "here's what I'm thinking. You hand over the Dragon Eye, and we'll give you the Erro root so you can save your precious boyfriend."

Astrid's glare hardened. _How_ dare _he talk about Hiccup like that? So...so carelessly. Almost like…_

 _Almost like Hiccup's just a pawn in a much bigger game._

Astrid suddenly got a serious, unnerving sense of deja vu. Ryker was definitely Viggo's brother, there was no doubt about that.

If only they _had_ the Dragon Eye, because Astrid wouldn't hesitate a second to hand it over if it was to save Hiccup's life. But of course, they didn't have the Dragon Eye, which meant they'd just have to attack the dragon hunters head-on.

And besides...they'd hurt Hiccup. _Ryker_ had hurt Hiccup. Even if they _did_ make the trade, the Dragon Eye for the Erro root, Astrid was positive that Berk wasn't going to take it sitting down. They would probably still raid the hunters one way or another, no matter what they did.

"I'll have to talk it over with the rest of the riders," Astrid said.

"Well, you might want to talk it over as quickly as you can," said Ryker. "I'm sure whatever healer you dragon riders have has already diagnosed Hiccup's condition. If you don't get the cure…"

"I know," said Astrid, balling her fists at her side. If Ryker said anything else, Stormfly might have to _physically_ restrain her from attacking Ryker on the spot. "You'll get your answer."

She spun on her heel and mounted Stormfly without another word. The dragon spread her wings and took to the sky once again, heading back for the Edge.

"Full speed ahead to the Edge, Stormfly," said Astrid. "Those hunters are going to _pay..._ "


	4. Chapter 4

**Upsides of having migraines: I can make Lord Voldemort jokes.**

 **Downsides of having migraines: Literally everything else.**

 **It ain't worth it guys. IT AIN'T WORTH IT.**

 **And hey waddya know I actually updated on time.**

 **But it'S A SHORTER CHAPTER DARN IT. 0_0 Usually I try to at least hit 2,000 words for a chapter but I just felt like ending this one a little sooner because I couldn't think of a better place to cut it...? Oh well. At least I updated. :)**

 **So, guess what? You guys get shout-outs again! :D :D :D Yaaaayyyyyyyy! :) :) :) :) :) I really love you all so much so I like to thank you for your support while I'm able, because hey, you don't have to write reviews, but you do it anyway, and you TOTALLY MAKE MY DAY WHENEVER YOU DO! :D :D :D :D :D :D :D**

 **So here're the shout-outs! :D**

 **Dimensional Phaser: Haha, thanks! Well, he _has_ changed. :) **

**Mudsbreath: You know the saying, "What he doesn't know...um...won't make him mad or...somethin'." XD Thanks for the review! :)**

 **Fantasygirl1329: Yeah I can't feel bad for Ryker either, nope nope nope nope nope, not after everything he's done. I'm glad you like my stories, tho! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **snookstar360: Hahaha thanks so much! :D And that's definitely a possibility! You'll just have to wait and see what happens. :)**

 **Forever Me: Wow, you like my writing that much? 0_0 I'm so honored! Thank you! :D But seriously if you're that tired the review can wait until after you've rested. :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **thepurplewriter333: Thanks! I love Dagur and Heather as siblings, too. They rock. :D And yeah, Astrid is kinda hard to write accurately, at least, so I'm glad I'm doing good! :D Thanks for the review! :)**

 **FanWriter02: Thanks! :D Yeah, poor Hiccup. It's probably better that he's oblivious, honestly. XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **MartialArtistwithaPen: IKNOWRIGHT!? I seriously hated Dagur at first (but like you said, he was a good villain so yeah at least he had that goin' for him) and now I'm writing and cheering for him. XD Thanks for the review! :)**

 **Astrid E Lokison: I'm glad! :D And hahaha, I'll try. :P Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Aeon The Dimensional Girl: Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha! XD XD XD**

 **phieillydinyia: We'll see how it goes for our dear Hiccup and friends! :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Zoha Ven: Haha, don't be sorry. (And Snotlout's part was meant to be hilarious, so I'm glad it was. :D). And thanks! I'm excited to be doing some more writing! :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko: Hahaha yeah, I feel especially sorry for the guy who was just poisoned. :P And everyone else too but first and foremost the guy who was just poisoned. XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **SnivyDragon: Haha, yep, Ryker's reaction's gonna be pretty fun, heh heh heh...and I love Dagur! He's seriously amazing, especially when he's protective of his "brother." :D Thanks! I'm glad you like the way this is going! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Guest (#1): Thank yooooouuuu! :D**

 **SailorMew4: Haha, yep! :) Thanks for the review! :)**

 **PKWolf014: Heh heh heh, it's pretty funny how everyone just lost it when it came to Ryker. XD And thanks! I'm really glad you're still enjoying it! :D :D :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **boyscouts83712: Thanks! I'll do my best! (I don't like waiting a long time to update as much as you like waiting a long time for an update). We'll see how it all goes down! :D**

 **Sadie: You're welcome! :D**

 **WhovianDemiwizard: No worries, it's cool. :) I've procrasinated on posting my fanfiction chapters every now and then to finish up a series. And Supernatural, ouch. I haven't watched much of the show but I've watched enough to know any season finale's gonna be pretty heart-stabbing. :( Anyways, I'm so glad you liked the chapter(s)! :D And yeah, I'd totally like to say I came up with a clever word from another language but nope, I just banged on the keyboard and came up with Erro. XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Hiccstridlover13: Thank you very much! :D :D :D**

 **HOKAY I think thats everyone. Boy there are a lot of you. Not that I'm complaining, actually I'm SUPER DUPER HONORED. :D :D :D :D :D Thank you all for your support, and enjoy chapter 4! :D**

* * *

Dagur landed Shattermaster on the platform at Dragon's Edge, right in front of the Clubhouse. He dismounted the Gronckle and patted him gratefully with one hand, his other hand holding a bag of herbs - the herbs Gothi had asked for from Berserker Island.

"Now you stay here, Shattermaster," said Dagur firmly. Shattermaster growled sadly, his wings flattening back and his pupils dilating. "I know you don't want to," said Dagur, "but it's better this way for now. I'll be back soon, don't worry."

He patted his dragon one last time before turning and heading down the way, jogging towards Hiccup's residence. The hatch leading inside was wide open, so Dagur charged right in.

"I've got the herbs, everyone!" Dagur shouted.

Stoick turned around to face the intruder, and then, he narrowed his gaze. "You!" Stoick said, drawing his axe and starting forward. "What are you doing here, Dagur the Deranged!?"

"Whoa, what?" said Dagur, frowning. "I dropped the 'Deranged' thing a long time ago - ack!" He dove out of the way of Stoick's axe, which came crashing down right in front of him.

"You have something to do with this, don't you?" said Stoick threateningly. "What are you doing here!?"

"Wait - didn't Hiccup tell you!?" said Dagur helplessly, dodging another one of Stoick's attacks. "I'm a friend now, to Berk and the dragons!"

"I'm sure I'd believe it," said Stoick, "if it wasn't coming from _you!"_ He swung the axe again, and Dagur dodged once more, but it was getting harder and harder to keep it up.

"No, I'm serious!" said Dagur. "I've changed my ways! Ask anyone! Toothless!" He gestured to the Night Fury, lying on the ground by Hiccup's side. "C'mon, Toothster, back me up, please?"

Toothless ignored him. To the dragon, Hiccup's situation was far more important than any situation Dagur was in.

"Look! Look, Stoick!" Dagur said helplessly. "He's not attacking me! That's a good sign, isn't it? Whoa-!" He jumped aside, and Stoick's axe embedded into the floor. "Phew, I felt the wind on _that_ one!" said Dagur. "You haven't lost your touch, Stoick! Not at all - hey! I said I'm a friend! Stop attacking me already!"

"He's telling the truth, Dad."

Instantly, all movement in the room halted, and all eyes turned to the source of the voice. Hiccup pushed himself into a sitting position with Toothless' help, but it still looked like hard work.

"Hiccup," Stoick said, dropping his axe and racing over instantly, Dagur entirely forgotten. "Are you alright?"

"Been better," Hiccup said, and then, he coughed into his elbow. "D-Dagur's telling the truth," Hiccup repeated. "He's an ally now."

"And I brought herbs!" said Dagur, once again raising the bag of said herbs over his head. "We got an airmail from Astrid that said Gothi wanted herbs from Berserker Island."

Gothi moved forward and snatched the bag from Dagur's hands, raising it up to the torch light for further inspection. Then, she nodded to Dagur with a small smile and headed back over to the table.

Stoick looked back and forth, from Dagur to Hiccup. "Are you sure about this, son?" Stoick questioned, settling a hand on Hiccup's forehead. "This isn't just the fever talking, is it?"

Hiccup shook his head. "I promise I know what I'm talking about, Dad," Hiccup said. "And besides, don't you think Toothless would be trying to attack Dagur, too, if Dagur's lying?"

Stoick looked to the Night Fury, who'd remained calmly by Hiccup's side this entire time, and nodded. "Aye, you're right," he said, and then, he stood and looked at Dagur. "But if you make one move against any of us," Stoick said threateningly, "mark my words, it'll be the last thing you ever do."

Dagur's hand snapped up in solid salute, his other arm stiff at his side. "Aye aye, Stoick," he said.

Stoick pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is going to take some getting used to…"

"Where's everyone else?" Hiccup asked quietly, looking around; his eyes were glazed over, and his voice was quiet.

"Astrid went to scout the hunter's camp," said Stoick, "and Snotlout is at healer's island. Fishlegs and the twins are looking into the Shatterglass dragon."

"Shatter…oh," Hiccup paused, and then glanced down at his arm. The black, spider-web like tendrils were still there, though much longer and more noticeable than before. "Probably...something about the cure, right?"

Stoick nodded.

"You guys are planning an attack on the hunter base!?" said Dagur, breaking the serenity of the room, and Hiccup and Stoick jumped. "Why didn't you _tell me_ , brother!?" said Dagur. "I would've started planning for an attack against them!"

"That won't be necessary, Dagur," said Stoick. "We have this under control."

"But I'm your ally now, aren't I, Stoick?" said Dagur. "C'mon, Hiccup! Convince your dad to let me help!"

Hiccup frowned, a bit tiredly, but he still looked flat-out _done_. "You do realize my dad has the word _stoic_ in his name, don't you?"

"Fair point…" said Dagur lowly; Hiccup laid down again, pulling a blanket up to his shoulders, and Toothless laid down beside his rider. "I _know_ the dragon hunters, Stoick!" said Dagur, trying to sound as convincing as possible. "Believe me, I can help you! I've spent more time around Ryker than anyone else! Me, and Heather, and the Berserkers…"

Stoick opened his mouth to resort, but then, Gobber stepped up, laying a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Stoick, the more men we bring in, the faster we'll be able to get what we need, and then get back here," said Gobber. "We don't really have time to waste, now do we?" He glanced towards Hiccup, sleeping fitfully again, and so did Stoick.

"Let me prove myself!" said Dagur. "Let me prove to you, in this fight, that I really _am_ a changed man! We'll get in there, get what we need, and be back here!" He paused, suddenly looking grave, which was something new for Dagur.

"You might not want to admit it, Stoick," Dagur started slowly, "and I don't want to think about it, either, but...Hiccup is dying. If we don't get the cure back in time, he'll die."

This was a solid fact that Stoick - or anyone, for that matter - couldn't argue with. Stoick glanced at Hiccup, and then up at Gobber, and then, finally, back at Dagur.

"Alright," said Stoick heavily, "but don't think I'm doing this because I trust you, Dagur. I'm doing this-"

"For my dear brother, of course," said Dagur, nodding. Stoick glared at him. "Okay, okay, I get it," said Dagur, putting up his hands. "Don't worry, Stoick. I won't let you down. I'll go to Berserker Island right now, get my sister, and we'll plan our attack!"

He turned and made for the door; but at the very last second, he stopped and turned around again.

"When do we strike?" Dagur asked, punching his fist into his open palm. "In the shadow of darkness, or the blazing light of day?"

"We strike as soon as possible!"

Stormfly soared through the door, Astrid's words echoing throughout the abode. Stormfly landed, just in front of Dagur, and Astrid dismounted, marching forward with purpose.

"Ah, lass, you've returned!" said Gobber. "What's the word on the hunters?"

"They want the Dragon Eye in exchange for the Erro root," said Astrid. "And that _wouldn't_ be a problem, except for the fact that we lost the Dragon Eye to the volcano during the hunters' attack."

"The Dragon Eye is gone?" said Stoick.

Astrid nodded. "I told the hunters I would think it over," said Astrid, "but the answer's already obvious. We're attacking as soon as I hear back from Fishlegs. I'm waiting for him and the twins to find the Shatterglass."

"So I'll go get the Berserker armada ready," said Dagur, "and you can send one of your little Terror-mail thingies as soon as we're ready for the attack!"

Astrid nodded. "That's the plan," she said. "Those hunters…" She narrowed her gaze, her teeth gritted behind her lips, "...are going _down_."


	5. Chapter 5

**So my older brother has two friends who recently started dating and they just emailed him the "Third Wheel" song by Tim Hawkins.**

 **My brother either has the best friends in the world or the worst. 0_0**

 **Anyways, hello, hello, hello, my beautiful peoples! 'Tis I, the author of this humble story...which is somehow really loved by all you guys? Honestly I've never really understood why so many of you liked my stories. For me it's just a bunch of word vomit and I personally don't think they're that good myself, but...well...as long as you guys like it that's all that matters, right? :)**

 **So, I'm gonna skip any other weird introduction I could give this story and go straight to the shout-outs. :)**

 **kaykay8776: Haha, no, it's not weird; I'm pretty sure everyone here's lookin' out for the release date. :) Thanks for the review!**

 **Margaret Helstone: Thanks! I'm glad you liked the chapters! :D (And I don't mind you repeating it; I'm glad I'm keeping everyone in character even now :P.) Yeah, gotta love Dagur. Funny, I used to hate the guy at first and now I'm writing about him and saying how much I love him. XD Thanks for the review!**

 **WhovianDemiwizard: Yeah, well, you're not alone; most other people also agree that Stoick didn't know about Dagur, so I mean...at least I got that part of it right. XD And yep; honestly with how it's going, I imagine this story hitting 8 chapters instead of 7, but I'm not going to promise anything because my writing is really sporadic. :/ But I'm glad you enjoy the story! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Zoha Ven: Haha, yeah...I like to think about small details like that sometimes. XD And yeah, Stoick the stoic. I like that, but Stoick the Vast definitely has a better ring to it. :) As for my migraines, nope, they're not getting better, but that's to be expected with migraines I suppose. No big deal. I'll just...keep pluggin' along. XD Thanks for your concern, and for your review! :)**

 **boyscouts83712: Thanks a bunch! Gotta love revenge! XD And I seriously doubt I'll ever write something in the fandom, but if by some chance I do, I'll let you know. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Dimensional Phaser: Touchy indeed oh my gosh. XD Thanks for the review! :)**

 **katurdi: Literally everyone is going to be after the hunters now, so yeah, they probably should have came up with a better plan. XD Thanks for the review! I'm glad you enjoy the story! :D**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: Hahaha, thanks. I probably had more fun with that than I should've. :P Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Guest (#1): Thanks! I had fun with it, too! :D**

 **thepurplewriter333: Haha yeah, I had a whole lot of fun writing Stoick and Dagur's interaction. :) Heh heh heh, sorry 'bout the cliffhanger, I just...y'know, couldn't help myself. XD And thanks! Migraines are definitely not cool! :( Thanks for the review! :D**

 **SnivyDragon: Hahahahahaha! (and as for the squealing face, I have no idea. XD) Yeha, seriously tho, Hiccup was cutting it a little close with that timing...XD I'm glad you enjoyed it! I had a lot of fun writing this chappie. :D Oh yes, Ryker's reaction will be very...well...you'll just have to wait and see. XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Forever Me: Oh, happy birthday! :D That's a cool coincidence! :D And yeah, gotta love the standoff. XD I'm glad you liked it, and you're welcome! Thanks for your review(s)! :D**

 **PKWolf014: Wow, 25 is...a lot more than ten... 0_0 Thank you so muuuuuccchhhh! :D :D ;D Yeah, I like adding little things that people would otherwise forget about...of course it all evens out because I forget about totally obvious stuff in the show sometimes. XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Mudsbreath: Ah yes, Hiccup may need to work on that a bit. XD**

 **phieillydinyia: Meh well I wasn't sure so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ my bad sorry. I'm pretty sure he didn't know, tho...but oh well. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **SailorMew4: Go team! :D**

 **Aeon The Dimensional Girl: Haha thanks. :D**

 **Me: Okay your review just seriously made me laugh out loud. Thanks for that. XD**

 **OKAY so I think that's all of you!? There are so many of you know that it gets hard to keep track of you all. :/ BUT IF BY SOME CHANCE I MISSED YOUR NAME LET ME KNOW PLEASE!? I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO BE LEFT OUT BECAUSE I LOVE YOU ALL!**

 **Thanks for your support! Enjoy the chapter! :D**

* * *

"Come on!" said Heather to nearby villagers, lifting a plank off the roof of a house and tossing it aside. "These buildings aren't going to fix themselves! I know it's been hard work, and we haven't made much progress, but we're rebuilding, step by step! We can do this!"

The Berserkers shouted back their agreement and then continued on, fixing roofs, walls, and sometimes entire houses. Heather overlooked their progress with Windshear, helping with whatever possible - but really, her mind was elsewhere.

"I wonder if Dagur made it to the Edge," Heather thought out loud to herself. She glanced up at the sky; it was just past noon, and she knew that sooner than later, night would fall. Heather glanced at Windshear briefly; the dragon was holding up planks while villagers hammered nails into them, patching the hole in one of the huts.

Then, at that very moment, a whooping shout of "HEATHER!" filled the air, and a couple moments later, Dagur landed Shattermaster on the ground right in front of her. Heather raced forward, and Dagur dismounted, running to meet her half-way.

"IT'S OFFICIAL, HEATHER," Dagur told her just as she opened her mouth to speak. "WE'RE GOING ALL-OUT AGAINST THE DRAGON HUNTERS!"

Heather blinked. _This_ wasn't exactly what she'd been expecting. "What do you mean?" she questioned. "How's Hiccup? Did you get the herbs to-"

"The cure is on the Dragon Hunter base, Heather!" said Dagur. "Which means we have to fight Ryker and the hunters if we want to save our dear brother! Ooh, when I get my hands on them..." He made a gesture, like he was strangling someone.

It took Heather just a moment to catch on. "Everyone! Change of plans!" she hollered. "Our allies need our help! Ready whatever battleships survived!"

They were going to fight the hunters, and the hunters were going to _pay_.

…

"We owe Mala big time for her giving us all this information," Fishlegs said, looking over the maps as he and the twins soared over the ocean, headed for their destination. "I can't _believe_ their archives…"

The twins, meanwhile, each had a spyglass, and were looking left and right for any sign of...well, _anything_. "So," said Tuffnut, "what kind of island are we looking for? It has a volcano on it, doesn't it?"

"I'm sorry, but _what_ part of Mala saying 'It lives in the cold, industrial regions' leads you to think there'll be a _volcano?"_ Fishlegs questioned skeptically.

"What can I say?" said Tuffnut, shrugging carelessly. "I'm a dreamer." He took up his spyglass once again and continued looking, turning it left and right. "OH, MY THOR! HOW GROSS!" he shouted suddenly.

"What!?" said Ruffnut. "What do you see!?"

"You," said Tuffnut.

Ruffnut brandished her spyglass and whacked Tuffnut repeatedly on the head with it.

"OW, OW, OW, OW, OW - heh, it actually feels kinda nice noooOW!"

Fishlegs was more than used to the twins and their insanity, so it was easy to ignore them at this point. He looked down at the map which Mala had written out for them, and then back up at the vast ocean before them.

"We should be there soon," said Fishlegs, more to himself than anything (because the twins were too busy whacking each other with their spyglasses to pay much attention to anything else). "Just hang on until we get the cure, Hiccup…"

It took longer than Fishlegs would have hoped, but finally, the air grew cold, and before long, the island was in sight. A large, towering structure that looked more like a mountain than anything, with huge rocky points jutting up like arrowheads.

"Hey, wait a minute," said Tuffnut, swirling his hand in the air. "If it's cold, then why isn't it snowing?"

"If you have a brain," said Ruffnut, also swirling her hand mockingly, "then why don't you use it?"

"Wait, I have a brain?"

"Psh, apparently _not_."

"This is definitely the island," said Fishlegs, looking down at his map and then back up at the rocky structure before them. "Come on, let's land."

The dragons soared overhead and touched down a moment later. Meatlug jumped uncomfortably at first against the ice cold stone, as did Barf and Belch.

"I know it's cold, girl," said Fishlegs, "but we have to do this! Come on, you're strong!"

Meatlug growled gleefully.

The riders dismounted, and Fishlegs took out his map while the twins continued looking around with their spyglasses.

"We're on the North side of the island according to Mala's map," said Fishlegs; Ruffnut and Tuffnut turned left, "which means the cave should be…" The twins turned right, "...Right about there!" The twins turned to each other, then let out a shriek, dropping their spyglasses.

"What? What is it!?" Fishlegs questioned, spinning around to look at them.

"Oh, nothing," said Tuffnut, taking up his spyglass once again. "Just wasn't expecting so much ugly up so close - OW!"

Fishlegs groaned and sighed. "Okay!" he said, steeling his nerves. "The Shatterglass' cave is just over that way, so can you _please_ take this seriously?"

"I _am_ taking this seriously!" said Tuffnut, now balancing the spyglass on his nose.

Fishlegs sighed, turned, and walked away with Meatlug; Ruffnut, Tuffnut and their dragon were quick to follow.

The cave was huge, honestly, the mouth being as big as the doors of the Great Hall back on Berk, the rest of the cave merely a shadow. Fishlegs took a single step forward into the darkness, and then gestured to Meatlug. Meatlug shot a single fireball down into the cave, and Fishlegs and company headed inside.

"So, this Shibbergarble thing…"

"It's called the Shatterglass," said Fishlegs.

"Right," said Tuffnut, nodding seriously, "Shaberbarble. Does anyone actually know what it can do?"

"Nope," said Fishlegs.

"Oh, that's awesome!" said Tuffnut. "So we're walking down a tunnel, facing certain death as we know it, plunging on because our dear friend needs a cure...this is quite poetic, is it not?"

Ruffnut nodded. "Quite poetic," she agreed.

Fishlegs swallowed thickly. The cave walls were made from solid stone, but the further they traveled, the smoother they became, until they no longer looked like stone.

"Hey, it just got freezing," said Ruffnut. "What-whoa!" She slipped suddenly, hitting the ground with a _thud_ , and Tuffnut laughed at her.

"It's ice," said Fishlegs. "Watch your step."

"Ha, wow," said Tuffnut, looking at Ruffnut through his spyglass. "Let's see that one again in slow-motion."

Ruffnut tripped him, and he, too, hit the ground.

…

"This tunnel is ridiculously long," said Ruffnut, dragging herself along. "And we don't even know if the Shatterglass even _exists_ anymore."

Fishlegs didn't answer. The walls, floor, and ceiling were completely covered in ice now, and an unforeseen light from up ahead illuminated their path. Honestly, Fishlegs had a really, really bad feeling about this, and Meatlug was getting restless, too.

"It shouldn't be much further," said Fishlegs.

And it wasn't. A couple steps later, Fishlegs, the twins and their dragons found themselves in a huge, well-lit icy clearing, the walls, floor and ceiling a deep, ocean blue, and light streaming from a large hole in the roof.

"Whoa, this place is so cool," said Tuffnut, then he paused. "Get it? Cool? Like, because it's ice…"

Fishlegs and Ruffnut stared at him.

"Y'know what nevermind," said Tuffnut, "just pretend I'm not here," and he whacked himself with his spyglass.

Fishlegs turned, surveying the area - and then, he gasped.

"There," he said, raising a shaking finger to point. "That's the Shatterglass."

Ruffnut and Tuffnut leaned closer to look. The dragon was on the other side of the cleaning, sleeping soundly against the wall. It had a build like a Flightmare, but its scales were jagged and anything _but_ smooth. They were all blue, but varied greatly in shades; some scales were sky blue, others were like ice, and some were as deep and dark as the ocean waves.

"Ooooh," said Tuffnut, starting forward. Ruffnut reached out wordlessly and snagged the back of his shirt to keep him back. Tuffnut just kept walking in place, his feet sliding on the ice.

"We don't know what the dragon is capable of," said Fishlegs. "For all we know, it could have lethal venom that shoots from its tongue, or-"

Tuffnut looked even more eager than before, and Fishlegs decided it'd be best to stop bringing up dangerous scenarios.

"We need a scale," said Fishlegs. "Just one scale, and then we're out of here. It'd be best if we could get it while the dragon is still sleeping, but…"

"Do it without waking the dragon," said Tuffnut, flashing Fishlegs a thumbs-up. "We've got this."

"Wait a second," said Fishlegs, "I didn't tell you my plan-"

"Come on, sis," said Tuffnut; Ruffnut released his shirt, and the two raced forward without warning.

"You guys!" Fishlegs shouted, as loudly as he dared with the Shatterglass sleeping so close by. "I need to tell you the plan!"

"We live on the wild side," said Ruffnut.

"That's not a good thing!"

"Okay, Ruff, so you can make sure the dragon doesn't wake up, and _I'll_ get the scale," said Tuffnut, jabbing a thumb at his chest proudly.

"Wait, how come _you_ get to get the scale?" Ruffnut protested. "That sounds like the more dangerous job to me!"

"You get to get close to the dragon's face," said Tuffnut, "and I get to get close to the dragon's claws. I'm pretty sure both places could kill us pretty easily."

"Oh yeah, good point."

"Guys!" Fishlegs squealed. "You have to get back here!"

The twins ignored him entirely. Ruffnut stood right by the dragon's face and crossed her arms while Tuffnut went behind, towards the dragon's hind legs.

"RUFFNUT, TUFFNUT," Fishlegs hissed.

"We're experts, Fish," said Tuffnut, cracking his knuckles as though for demonstration. "We've got this." He took out his spyglass again and aimed it at the dragon's scales. "Hmm…"

Fishlegs clenched his teeth and bit into his fingernails. He had a really, really, _really_ bad feeling about this.

"Okay," said Tuffnut, pulling the spyglass away, "so all I need to do is…" He took the edge of the spyglass and slid it beneath one of the Shatterglass' blue scales. Fishlegs was fidgeting to the point where it was ridiculous.

"Okay," said Tuffnut, "Seven, twenty four, one!" He twisted the spyglass and pried the scale straight off the Shatterglass' back.

Fishlegs yelped and shut his eyes.

Nothing happened. The Shatterglass slept on.

Fishlegs breathed a long sigh of relief. Well, _that_ was nerve-wracking.

"HA, SCORE!" proclaimed Tuffnut, grabbing the scale and holding it up over his head proudly.

However, he shouted just a little bit too loudly.

The Shatterglass' eyes flew open.

* * *

 **IMPORTANT NOTES:**

 **So I wanted to let all you beautiful readers know that I'm going to finish up this story probably within a week (if I can manage it that is), and then throughout the rest of June, I'm going to be taking a break from writing.**

 **I'M NOT DISAPPEARING AGAIN THO I'LL BE BACK JULY 1ST but right now I'm trying to get a whole bunch of school (I missed a lot of school because of all the migraines this year) so I'm cramming everything into my schedule, and I'm still trying to work with my editing job (and I'm possibly going to do work as a transcriber, too), and I'm STILL getting migraines, so my life's kind of turned on its head right now. And I totally threw out my knee the other day, so I need to go to the doctor for that tomorrow. **

**But I just wanted to let you know. I'll finish up this story, then take a break, and come back July 1st or so, when school's out and I have time to focus on the stuff that I need time to focus on.**

 **So, I'm sorry for leaving so soon after getting back, but this time it's only temporary, I promise. I thought it fair to let you guys know ahead of time so I didn't post the last chapter of this fic and just be like, "So hey guess what I'll be gone for a month lol SAYANARA" and then just vanish.**

 **Anyways, that's it. You can continue on with your lives now. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**My older brother walked into the kitchen a couple nights ago around midnight to see me casually guzzling double-strength black coffee (because of my migraines. Caffeine's the only thing that consistantly helps). He just kind of stared at me for the longest time, then looked at the clock then back at me like "Um are you okay" and I just looked him dead in the eyes and said "Yolo" which I'm pretty sure isn't n acceptable response when it comes to guzzling black double-strength dark roast coffee at 12:00 AM. :/**

 **Anyways, if the above story hasn't made it obvious enough, I'm still getting migraines, and I know I'd originally planned to finish up this story last week. That obviously didn't happen, though, and instead of trying to force myself to write and coming out with chapters I can't look back on and say I'm proud of, I'm gonna leave you guys with this, and then come back officially in mid July. I know I originally said July 1st, but I have some doctor's appointments I can't miss, and judging by everything else, I don't trust myself to be ready in time.**

 **So mid-July it is.**

 **Anyways...I really hate saying this, because it's my last update until mid July, but I can't do shout-outs this chapter. I'm sorry, guys. You're all such beautiful, sweet people who have left such amazing reviews, but I just...don't think I can do it right now. I'm sorry. It's hard enough just trying to get this chapter out right now.**

 **But I promise I'll do shout-outs in the next chapter, because you guys are amazing and deserve them. :) So, thank you all for your continued support! I love you all, and I'll see you guys in July! :)**

* * *

The dragon raised its head and opened piercing, ice-blue eyes. Ruffnut took a cautious step backwards, and Tuffnut looked down at his hands; one holding the scale, and one holding the spyglass.

He laughed nervously. "Heh heh, whoopsy."

The Shatterglass roared, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut turned and sprinted off.

"Whoopsy!?" Fishlegs shrieked, also turning tail and running; Meatlug and Barf and Belch ran ahead of him, and the twins were in hot pursuit. Unfortunately, so was the Shatterglass. "You just doomed us all and all you can say is _whoopsy!?"_

"I'm a man of few words - AH!" Tuffnut cut himself off, springing to the side when a sheet of ice suddenly hit the ground beside him. "Whoo! Felt the chill on _that_ one!"

And they ran, slipping and sliding to the point where they were doing more skating than sprinting, the Shatterglass moving expertly after them with no trouble at all.

"Sheets of ice!?" Fishlegs yelped, glancing over his shoulder at the advancing dragon. "So _that's_ what all this is! It covered the tunnel in ice to keep out intruders and give it the advantage during a chase!"

"Um, this is probably a no-brainer-!" Ruffnut shouted, ducking when the Shatterglass released another spray of ice, "-but your dragon knowledge is _really_ unappreciated right now, Fishlegs!"

While the riders and their dragons were slipping and sliding on the ice, the Shatterglass behind them found traction easily, chasing them down the tunnel from whence they'd come.

"There's a turn up here!" Fishlegs hollered, raising a finger to point. "We may be able to buy some time - ahhh!" Ice shot past him, plastering itself to the icy wall just by Fishlegs' head. "Hurry!"

He was the first to duck into the other, smaller tunnel, followed instantly by Barf, Belch, Meatlug, Ruffnut, and finally Tuffnut. But the Shatterglass was right on their heels.

Literally.

The dragon lunged into the tunnel, snagging Tuffnut's boot with its teeth. Tuffnut tripped and fell flat on his face, and Ruffnut and Fishlegs turned back to look. The Shatterglass gave a hard yank backwards, pulling Tuffnut out of the tunnel.

"Tuffnut!" Fishlegs shrieked.

Tuffnut didn't seem concerned, though. He flipped himself onto his back, brandished his spyglass, and hit the dragon repeatedly on the head. "No, no, _no!"_ Tuffnut shouted in between whacks. "Bad dragon, _bad dragon!_ You. Let. Me. Go. Right. _Now!"_

He hit a spot between the dragon's eyes, and the Shatterglass reeled backwards with a shriek, releasing Tuffnut in the process. Tuffnut then scrambled into the tunnel to join the others.

"Meatlug! Now!" Fishlegs shouted, pointing, and Meatlug fired a blast directly over the mouth of the tunnel.

Ice and stones plummeted downwards, sealing off the entrance in an instant.

…

"That was so _cool!"_ Tuffnut exclaimed, as he and the others continued aimlessly down the tunnel, not knowing where they were going or where they would end up. "Man, that dragon was _crazy!_ I wish we could take it home with us…"

"I'm sure you do," said Fishlegs. "Do you still have the scale?"

Tuffnut pulled off his helmet and held up the a tiny, blue, coin-like object. "Got it."

"That's all that matters," said Fishlegs. "What we need to do now is find a way out of here and get the scale back to the Edge."

"Right-o," said Tuffnut, flashing gun-fingers at Fishlegs briefly before putting the scale back in his helmet and his helmet back on his head.

"So, the dragon uses sheets of ice," said Fishlegs, holding his chin thoughtfully. "But it doesn't solidify until it makes contact with something...sort of like the Death Song, but not amber…"

He paused and turned; Ruffnut and Tuffnut had stopped walking and now stared at Fishlegs as though he were a foreign creature.

"What?" he questioned.

"Sorry, but I don't follow," said Tuffnut flatly.

"Like the Death Song!" Fishlegs said. "Only it's ice...you know what, nevermind. The point is, we don't want to get hit by one of those ice blasts, or it's probably game over."

"But what about that thing Tuffnut did, where he hit the dragon with the spyglass?" Ruffnut said, holding up her own spyglass which she'd somehow managed to keep with her this entire time. "I mean, couldn't we just do it again?"

"Wait a minute!" said Tuffnut, holding out a hand. "Ohh, I've got an idea! The spyglass is actually the dragon's biggest weakness! All Glattershabbers-"

"Shatterglass!" scowled Fishlegs.

"-Fear the mighty spyglass!" Tuffnut went on, undaunted. "Just one hit is all it takes for the dragon to cower in fear! Pretty awesome theory, don't you think?"

"No, it's _not_ \- wait." Fishlegs paused, thinking. "The Shatterglass didn't back off until you hit it between the eyes...maybe that's its weakness!" He surged forward, grabbing Tuffnut by the shoulders. "Tuffnut, you're a genius!"

"Oh, thanks!" said Tuffnut, smirking and shrugging. "I get called that a lot."

"What, a genius?" asked Ruffnut in disbelief.

"No, Tuffnut," said Tuffnut.

"If the dragon's weakness _is_ between its eyes," said Fishlegs, "then we have a trump card in case we come in contact with it again. The only problem is, its eyes are also really close to...its teeth."

Ruffnut blinked. "And that's a problem...why?"

"Because…" Fishlegs was just about to say it was dangerous, and then took a second look at just who he was talking to and changed his mind.

"You don't have to worry about us," said Tuffnut, jabbing his thumb proudly at his chest. He looked like an idiot. "We're the toughest of the tough and the dumbest of the dumb!"

"Nice Snotlout impression," said Ruffnut.

"Oh, really?" said Tuffnut, breaking character. "I thought it was pretty good myself, too."

Fishlegs pinched the bridge of his nose. "How about this," he said. "If we're attacked by the Shatterglass again, I'll let you two be in charge of getting to its weak spot while Meatlug, Barf and Belch and I try to find another way out."

The twins looked at each other, then back at Fishlegs with eager nods. They snapper their free hands to their heads in solid salute.

"You have my word as a Thorston," said Tuffnut.

"Which isn't that promising," said Ruffnut, "as we Thorstons can be very forgetful."

Fishlegs didn't respond. The twins were the nuttiest nutjobs to ever nutjob, but he knew they were the best choice when it came to getting up in the face of dangerous dragons and not ending up dead.

...

While Fishlegs, Meatlug and Barf and Belch began digging another tunnel in hopes of finding a way to escape, the twins were entertaining themselves with a game of charades, using their spyglasses as different props.

"Does this belt make me look fat?" Ruffnut questioned, holding the spyglass sideways at her waist.

"Hm…" said Tuffnut. "I don't think it's the belt, sis - OW!" She tackled him, like she often did, hitting him with her spyglass.

Fishlegs was just about to turn around and warn them not to make too much racket, when a roar suddenly split their eardrums. Meatlug and the twins' Zippleback looked up instantly and growled.

"Ruffnut, Tuffnut…" Fishlegs began.

"We got it," said the twins, standing back to back near the entrance of the tunnel.

"Distract the Glassergoogle."

"It's Shabberglagger," said Ruffnut.

"IT'S SHATTERGLASS!" hollered Fishlegs.

But in the end it didn't matter what the right or wrong way to pronounce the dragon's name. The boulders and ice congesting the entrance were suddenly blown away, and the dragon blasted into the room.

"GO FOR ITS FACE!" said Tuffnut. "CHAARRRGGGGEEE!"

And charge they did. While Fishlegs directed the dragons to keep digging and blowing holes into the walls in hopes of finding an exit, the twins distracted the Shatterglass in...interesting but effective ways.

"Over here!" said Tuffnut, waving his spyglass over his head.

"No, over here!" said Ruffnut. "I taste way better than him!"

"Hey, no fair!" Tuffnut objected; the Shatterglass' eyes moved from him to Ruffnut, then back to him and to Ruffnut again, back and forth in confusion. "We've agreed that I tasted better, remember?"

"I don't remember agreeing to that," said Ruffnut.

The Shatterglass dove at Ruffnut, and she sprang backwards. "Ha! See that, Tuff!? Mr. Shoobygooby thinks I taste better!"

Fishlegs opened his mouth to correct her again, and then remembered that they were trying to distract the Shatterglass' attention _away_ from him, and any noise he made would be counterproductive.

So he had the dragons keep digging, through the ice and into stone.

Tuffnut ran and dove into a somersault; unfortunately, he still couldn't find traction on the ice, so he ended up slipping and sliding rather embarrassingly. Ruffnut, meanwhile, jumped in front of the Shatterglass' face, trying to keep its attention away from Fishlegs for as long as possible.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry," Fishlegs murmured frantically under his breath, wringing his hands together.

And then, suddenly, Meatlug blasted away part of the stone, and sunlight spread into the area.

"WE DID IT!" Fishlegs shouted, beckoning to Ruffnut and Tuffnut with his hand. "COME ON, YOU TWO! WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE, NOW!"

"Oh, really? But I was starting to get the hang of this…" Tuffnut complained, dodging another sheet of ice.

"TUFFNUT!" Fishlegs snapped.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming!" Tuffnut said, and he and his sister turned and ran towards the exit. Meatlug, Barf and Belch had already headed outside.

"Go, go, go!" Fishlegs shouted, ushering Ruffnut and Tuffnut out their escape route. The Shatterglass was right on their heels, though, once again.

Tuffnut hesitated just slightly, then kissed his spyglass. "So long, my friend," he said, and then, he pulled back his arm and hurled the spyglass at the Shatterglass' face.

It met its mark between the dragon's eyes, and the Shatterglass roared, shaking its head furiously back and forth. While it was distracted, Fishlegs and the twins raced out the hole, mounted their dragons, and took off into the sky.

The Shatterglass didn't follow them this time.

The sun was just setting beyond the horizon, leaving orange streaks through the cloudless sky. Fishlegs sat back with a long, exhausted but relieved sigh.

"Oh, _Thor,"_ Fishlegs gasped, holding a hand against his chest. "I can't believe we survived that...Tuffnut, you still have the scale, don't you?"

"Don't I _ever?"_ said Tuffnut, pulling said scale from his helmet once more. "Man, that Shatterglass really put up a fight!"

"It's Shabbergarble...I mean Shatterglass!...URGH!" Fishlegs growled, then snatched the scale away and stuffed it in his pouch. "Now all we need to do is get back to the Edge," Fishlegs said.

The twins nodded, and their dragons put on a spurt.


	7. Chapter 7

***shows up two weeks late with a Starbucks* What did I miss?**

 **WHAT'S UP, PEOPLE!? It's seriously been longer than I hoped and I'm sorry guys. I volunteered at our local VBS a couple weeks ago, and I was in the games department, so every day it was literally 3+ hours straight of just runnin' 'round with kids ranging from preeschoolers to sixth graders. And I have problems sleeping at night sometimes (my mom's gonna take me to the doctor for that soon I think) so I was goin' to bed at 11 at night and wakin' up at 5:30 AM every morning for like over a week and that was crazy remind me never to do that again. And then my dad had knee surgery so I was babysitting my siblings on and off leading up to that, which is fine, just tiring.**

 **Oh, and if anyone cares, I was able to study like mad and come out with a 98% on my History Exam and a 96% on my Biology Exam, which really surprised me, but I worked hard for it, so I'm super happy! :D**

 **ANYWAYS, HERE I AM! The next chapter's gonna be the final one for this fic, so we're almost done, ladies and gentlemen! :D And I dunno when the next "episode"'s gonna be posted. I'll have to put some more thought into that, so I'll get back to you guys next chapter.**

 **And I'll do shout-outs next chapter as well. ;) Thank you guys for being patient! These last couple weeks I've been able to kinda take off writing have really been a blessing. I love you guys, and enjoy chapter 7! :D**

* * *

Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Fishlegs ran (or moreover, flew) into each other on their way back to the Edge, both parties carrying their respective cure ingredients. The sun had long since set, and the light of the moon pierced the darkness.

Snotlout was covered in soot (courtesy of Hookfang), and leaves and twigs were stuck in his hair. He steered Hookfang towards Fishlegs' party, then raised a finger and shook it.

"You got the scale, right?" Snotlout demanded. "Please, for the love of _Odin_ , tell me you got the scale."

"Yeah, we got the scale," said Tuffnut, "which is more than we can say for _you."_

"Shut up, Tuffbutt!" Snotlout growled. "You have _no idea_ what I went through to get these!" As he spoke, he yanked a small pouch from his belt and waved it. "It _would_ have been a lot easier if some _stupid dragon,_ who shall be nameless, _had actually been useful for once!"_

Hookfang growled.

"We don't have time for this!" Fishlegs snapped out of nowhere. "We have to get back to the Edge, _right now,_ or we'll be too late!"

"I _know,_ what else do you think I'm _doing!?"_ Snotlout yelled. "C'mon, Hookfang!" For once, Hookfang obeyed, spreading his wings further and shooting ahead.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut watched him curiously.

"...He's definitely worried about Hiccup, isn't he?" Ruffnut deadpanned.

"For sure," said Tuffnut, nodding seriously. "Snotlout only acts like a total jerk when he's worried about something."

"...Um, Tuffnut, 'total jerk' kinda makes up ninety percent of Snotlout's personality," said Ruffnut, frowning. "You _do_ realize that, right?"

"Guys!" Fishlegs shouted.

"We know!" Ruffnut and Tuffnut chorused. Barf and Belch picked up speed, and Meatlug and Fishlegs followed them back to the Edge.

…

The hut was quiet. When Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins dismounted their dragons and raced inside, that was the first thing they noticed. A solemn atmosphere hung over the place like the plague, and no one dared break the silence for an unspoken, mutual reason.

Hiccup looked worse than before, his skin so pale it seemed impossible, and he wasn't twitching in his sleep, either, like he'd been before. Astrid and Toothless were by his side, Astrid's fingers entwined with Hiccup's; Gothi and Gobber were working by the fire pit; and Stoick was seated on a stool with his head down.

"Here's the herbs," Snotlout said, taking the pouch from his belt and setting it beside Gothi.

"We brought the scale," Fishlegs said, pulling the Shatterglass' scale from his own pouch and handing it to the old woman. Gothi took the herbs and the scale, turned once again, then got right back to work.

"Um...how's...how's he lookin'?" Snotlout asked, but the answer was already pretty obvious.

"We don't have much time left," said Stoick, rising to his feet. "The Berkian armada is already well on their way, and we Airmailed the Berserkers."

"The Berserkers?" Fishlegs said, confused but not exactly surprised.

"The more hands the better," said Stoick. "If we can occupy the Dragon Hunters with the armadas, it'll leave more time for the rest of you to locate and recover the Erro root."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Snotlout said, punching his fist into his open palm. "Those Dragon Hunters are about to get their _butts_ kicked."

"Yeah! Butt-kicking!" said Tuffnut, also pounding his fist into his hand. "That's what I do best!" Especially when it comes to kicking my _own_ butt!"

"Then we'll head out," Stoick said. The last thing he wanted to do was leave his son in such a state, but he trusted Gothi and Toothless to look after him for the time being. "Dragons, everyone."

It wasn't something that had to be said; the dragon riders were already well aware of what they had to do. The twins, Snotlout and Fishlegs nodded, turned, and sped back out of the hut.

Stoick followed, then paused briefly. "Astrid?"

"I-I'll be right there," Astrid said. "You guys can go ahead and get a head start."

Stoick nodded. "Alright," he agreed, and then, he raced outside to his dragon.

Astrid watched him go, then turned to face Hiccup once again. His lack of response really, really scared her, probably more than she would admit to anyone. And his hand was cold, too. He was feverish, his forehead burning, but his fingers were like ice.

"I'm sorry, Hiccup," Astrid whispered, swallowing thickly. "I'll be back soon, okay? I promise."

She didn't want to leave him, but she knew she didn't have a choice. Those Dragon Hunters had stepped _way_ over the line with what they did, and she was going to make sure they lived to regret it.

"We're bringing the cure, Hiccup," Astrid said. "I'll be back before you know it. You'll be fine."

She leaned down and kissed his burning forehead, then released his hand reluctantly and got to her feet. Her knees were cramping from sitting in the same position for so long, but she didn't care.

"You'll watch after him for me, won't you, Toothless?" she asked.

Toothless warbled his agreement, curling his tail around Hiccup's legs protectively.

Astrid smiled faintly at him. "Thank you," she said, and she turned and ran, her boots pounding against the wooden planks of the hut.

Hiccup would be fine. No matter what happened, she'd make sure to get the Erro root and finish the cure. She didn't care what it took at this point; she'd make it happen. She wasn't _about_ to lose Hiccup, not now and not ever, let alone to a couple of low-life _Dragon Hunters_ who didn't value the life of anyone but their own selfish selves.

Stormfly was waiting for her; the rest of the dragons and their riders had already left. "C'mon, Stormfly," Astrid said, leaping onto the dragon's back and narrowing her gaze at the dark sky above. "Full speed ahead."

Stormfly chirped her agreement, spread her wings, and blasted off.

…

The Nadder caught up with the rest of the dragons and their riders in record time. Not only that, but they'd also caught up with the Berkian and Berserker armadas, and the dragons soared overhead while the battleships cut through the ocean waves.

"Hey, Astrid! Dragon riders!"

Astrid looked down; Dagur, mounted on Shattermaster, flew towards them from one of the ships. Soon to follow him was Heather and Windshear.

"Hey, Dagur, my man!" Tuffnut said. "As great as it is to see you and all, what are you doing here?"

"Ignore him!" Snotlout said to everyone else, rolling his eyes.

"We've brought the battleships!" Dagur said. "As much as I've been trying to get a handle on my anger issues, I've decided to go all out against the Dragon Hunters! They aren't going to get away with what they did to my brother!"

"We did a bit of research on the Erro root, like you asked us to in the airmail," said Heather to Astrid and Stoick. "It's located on the far side of the island, and the Erro plant resembles something like a large bush with triangular leaves."

"Thanks, Heather," said Astrid. "That helps a lot. We'll take Snotlout and get the Erro root while everyone else stays and keeps the Dragon Hunters busy."

"But wait," said Ruffnut, "won't it be pretty obvious that the armadas are a distraction? I mean, the Dragon Hunters are dumb, but they're not _that_ dumb."

"We didn't say 'distraction,'" said Stoick. "We need to keep them _occupied,_ so they don't have a chance to try and stop Astrid and the others from getting the Erro root."

"Yes!" said Dagur, grinning madly. "This is what I've been waiting for! Finally, an excuse to punch a Dragon Hunter in the face!"

"And I'll watch your backs!" said Snotlout to Astrid and Heather, jabbing his thumb at his chest proudly. "You guys just focus on the Erro root! I'll make sure we aren't being followed by any stupid Dragon Hunters!"

"Then it's settled," said Astrid. "Everyone knows their positions?"

"Wait," said Tuffnut, raising his hand. "Does this mean we get to wreak as much havoc as we want?"

"Yes, Tuffnut," said Fishlegs, "you can wreak as much havoc as you want."

"YEAH!" Tuffnut and Ruffnut cheered in unison. "Okay!" Tuffnut went on. "That's all for my question! Let's _do_ this thing!"

"Dragon Hunter base, spotted up ahead!" a Berkian called from one of the many ships below. "Approaching target!"

Astrid looked, and there it was: the Dragon Hunter base in all its glory, raised torches lighting the sky.

"This is it," said Astrid. "We can't screw this one up."

…

"Ryker, sir!" a Dragon Hunter hollered, running towards his leader with a spyglass in grasp. "Ships have been spotted to the east!"

Ryker yanked the spyglass away and looked for himself. "Just as I suspected," he said, throwing the instrument to the ground. "Get the men ready. Whatever happens, don't let them pass."

"Yessir!" the hunter said, snapping his hand up to salute, and he ran off to do what his leader had instructed.

Ryker turned and ran in the opposite direction, drawing his axe as he did so.

...

"Go, go, go!" Ruffnut and Tuffnut hollered, swooping overhead and setting the nearest catapult ablaze. "YEAH! GO TEAM, GO TEAM, GO TEAM!"

"Heather, Snotlout!" Astrid called, and the two shot into the sky, out of range of sight and catapults. The Berkian and Berserker ships reached the shoreline of the Dragon Hunter base, and the soldiers leapt from them, ready to fight.

"As soon as we get the Erro root, we'll send signal flares into the sky," Astrid said. "Then, we'll regroup and head back to the Edge. We don't have time to finish the fight."

Time was the one thing they _didn't_ have. Even now, Astrid wasn't sure whether they'd make it in time, whether or not they'd be too late to save Hiccup-

"FIRE!"

"Whoa!" Snotlout spun and dodged out of the way; a dozen or so arrows cut through the air where he and Hookfang had been moments before. "You're kidding me, right!? _Arrows!?"_

"I'll take care of this!" Heather said, turning Windshear around. "The arrows shouldn't be able to penetrate Windshear's armor! We can do this! You guys just focus on getting that root!"

"Right!" said Astrid with a firm nod. Arguing with her would do nothing, and besides, Astrid trusted Heather's abilities. When the girl set her mind on something, she didn't fail. "Be careful, Heather!"

"Don't worry! We've got this under control!" Heather said, and she and Windshear shot towards the ground, dodging arrows all the while.

Astrid focused her gaze forward, surprisingly level-headed considering the situation. She couldn't afford to act carelessly now. Lives depended on it. But of course, that didn't mean she wouldn't straight-up _attack_ Ryker the next time she saw him, because that's exactly what she was planning on.

While Astrid focused ahead, Snotlout looked towards the ground. "Um, Astrid!" Snotlout called. "This is probably a bad time with you being all dead-set on _murdering_ someone and all, but there are Dragon Hunters heading in the same direction as us!"

Astrid looked down. Snotlout was right, there _were_ Dragon Hunters, at least twenty of them, racing ahead with crossbows loaded.

"I've got this one!" said Snotlout; for emphasis, Hookfang set himself ablaze. "If those hunters make it there before we do, it'll probably be bad, right?"

Astrid opened her mouth to say something, but Snotlout didn't give her the chance. He dove downwards, Hookfang spewing fire all over the place, and met the Dragon Hunters in battle.

Astrid watched until all she saw was Hookfang's flame, and then focused forward again. Heather and Snotlout were counting on her, giving her the openings she needed to get the Erro root.

"There, Stormfly!" Astrid called, pointing. "Down there!"

Stormfly chirped in agreement and soared downwards; Astrid saw what Heather had described, large bushes with odd, triangular-leaves. The Erro plant.

Stormfly touched down, and Astrid leapt off the dragon's back and raced forward.

"You didn't really think it was going to be that easy, did ya, girl?"

Astrid stopped. Ryker stepped out of the shadows, his weapon slung around his shoulder idly.

Astrid gritted her teeth and drew her own axe. Behind her, Stormfly raised her tail.

"Tell yer dragon to drop its guard, would ya? I don't have any surprise archers 'round this time," said Ryker. "I thought it'd be better to have a little one-on-one match, just you and me."

Astrid grit her teeth even harder. "You did a stupid thing, coming here alone," she said lowly, tightening her grip on her axe until her knuckles were white. "And you did an even _more_ stupid thing when you poisoned Hiccup."

Ryker grinned at her. "Is that so?" he challenged.

Astrid's anger was hot and fierce. Her hands shook, and she was pretty sure she'd chip her teeth if she bit down any harder.

"I'm going to make you regret what you did to Hiccup," she seethed.

Ryker's smile only grew. "I look forward to our fight," he said.

Astrid steeled her resolve, and charged.

* * *

 **P.S. This chapter hasn't been edited yet so please excuse my errors if you found any. I'll fix it eventually. :/ XD**


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